MILLBURN - Joe Hathaway makes the point over and over on the campaign trail.

His opponent, Analilia Mejia, is a radical socialist and an anti-Semite.

He did so again during a "town hall" on Saturday, reiterating a central theme - when Mejia criticizes the Israeli government, it puts Jews living in CD-11 and elsewhere in danger.

Mejia denies any anti-Semitic sentiments and draws a distinction between criticizing Benjamin Netanyahu and feeling kinship with the state's Jewish community.

Last week, with the special April 16 election now only a few days away, she got some support.

Mejia was endorsed by JStreet, a political action committee that calls itself the "political home for pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy Americans."

Said Mejia:

"I'm honored to receive the endorsement of J Street. I look forward to working in partnership in our shared commitment against antisemitism, bigotry and hate. We can and must be critical of the Israeli government, call out the war crimes committed by Netanyahu, and stand with Palestinian communities in their pursuit of peace and dignity. Each and every one of us has a key role to play in protecting the dignity and security of all of our communities. Hatred allowed to flourish ultimately harms us all. This work begins at home and extends beyond our country to the globe. I’m proud to be in partnership."

So how does an endorsement from a Jewish PAC square with charges of anti-Semitism?
Asked about that on Saturday, Hathaway said:

"I think that to me looks like a pretty desperate move .... for someone who has leaned very hard into not supporting the state of Israel for a very long time."

He added:

"I think she realizes that she has a big problem with Jewish Democrats in places that she is supposed to do very well like South Orange, Maplewood or Montclair. I think this is a pretty desperate last ditch effort."

Hathaway's point here is that the endorsement was arranged - if that's the right word - to help Mejia in the closing days of the campaign.

"Something tells me that (it) didn't just fall out of the sky," he said.

He also said that he thought  the JStreet endorsement could hurt Mejia with her progressive base.

Beyond that, during the town hall, Hathaway also stressed another point.

Unlike the ideological Mejia, he has practical experience as a mayor and councilman in Randolph. As such, he is better equipped to work on problems that average people care about.

"Most people don't want that kind of radicalism," he said of Mejia. "They just don't."

At this town hall, and at an event in Madison a few days ago, no one asked about Donald Trump or the war in Iran.

Odd on one hand. Then again, maybe not. It's not really a subject that's going to help Republicans these days. A recent Rutgers-Eagleton poll put Trump's favorability rating in New Jersey at 26 percent.

There was one question about ICE.

A man who said he worried about "illegal aliens" voting for Mejia asked Hathaway if he had requested ICE agents to be at the polls.

No, he has not, he said.

Previously, Hathaway has said he's confident about the election's integrity.